Technology has been a big part of my life just like it has been a big part of pretty much the majority of my and further generations lives in this state and age at least within the West but also widely in Asia and South America as well and other more 3rd World areas are eventually catching up getting further incorporated into the technological world many of us find ourselves in now. We live in a world now where technology moves very fast and new devices are being released on a frequent basis and other new devices and tech are always being designed.
It can feel like this world moves so fast with technology that it is hard to keep-up, we went from having mobile phones that could only basically text and call to powerful smart-phones that can do all that on top of browsing the internet, livestream, recording videos, take pictures, play various gaming apps, can be used for maps and navigation, can be used to control smart technology within your own home and utilize many other apps for nearly any task or activity you could imagine, it is an almost unlimited possibility now for phones which have turned into a fusion of multiple old technologies into a singular piece of tech that fits into the palm of your hand. If you think about it, it is actually quite genius that so many day-to-day things have now been incorporated into something we have on us basically 24/7, but it can also be a major downside, leading to social isolation and immense distraction from other important things and damaging to health.
But we also now have a huge amount of information at the click of a button or tap of the finger, we can basically find out nearly anything from a simple Google search and quick research without having to buy a book on the specific subject, we can access and find out the latest news instantly without it having to first be broke on a news channel or without having to wait for the next edition of a newspaper. We can store vast amounts of stuff on devices such as tablets and phones including books, games and music so we no longer have to clutter our house with this stuff or wait for it to arrive after ordering it, we instantly have it. Downsides of access to vast amounts of information though can be that access to information that is false but widely believed or information that is subject to a manipulative agenda is much easier to be pulled into and can spread like wildfire and it can be almost impossible to make people realize it isn’t real. Conspiracies and fringe talking points and toxicity can easily generate in many areas of the internet and social medias, which can lead to dangerous outcomes.
Bullying can be everywhere now and for many it can be inescapable due to the ease of the internet and vast social media networks. Worse is that people’s privacy and personal information can be easily harvested by people with sinister agenda and there are so many people who don’t take precautions against this and so many people who neglect privacy options or don’t partake in procedures that can more easily protect you against your information being tracked or stolen – this again can lead to potentially dangerous outcomes, black mail or bullying and can literally ruin people’s lives.
Even if privacy is taken seriously you have to put vast trust into the security systems of companies and corporations and rely that they are doing everything they can to protect the information you have put into them or that your employer has stored of you on their own servers online – but unfortunately data breaches are common. Precautions against this can include changing your accounts passwords on a regular basis, not using the same passwords across accounts and using systems such as two-factor authentication.
Of course, though, nothing is totally secure but taking all the privacy and security measures available to you is your best bet and even then, deciding on what you don’t and do decide to publish is also wise to consider – what could the possible consequences be in the future? – Could it make you look bad somehow, such as to employers for example? Could it be used against you somehow in a possible scenario? Am I giving away too much personal information of my day-to-day life? – Would my child be happy with the information I have posted about them when they get older? – Is it responsible to publish certain things about my child’s life that many strangers will likely also see? There are lots and lots of things that should be considered before hitting that big Publish/Post button, lots and lots of things which easily have consequences in the future.
Social media can also turn into a competition of who has the best and most luxurious life, which can lead to massive depression for the majority of people who see those things and believe it is the “norm” for most people to have a huge house, high-paying job and tons of holidays when it just isn’t the case for most people. Ordinary is the norm, not the bubble your social media feed or website is in. Talking about bubbles and echo chambers – this is another big downside of social media platform. Certain communities, especially political ones, can get stuck in a bubble of common thought and same-think, which can get so bad that nothing else can penetrate it due to the vast toxicity or casting out such a different thought or opinion would receive, leading to delusions that the vast majority must agree with them, which has been proven time over to not be the case and that thoughts and opinions are much more vast and varied.
The availability of widespread contact is amazing to keep in touch with friends and family and can make work life easier – but at the same time it can turn your life into a 24/7 schedule which you may feel like you always have to be on call for instead of just having some alone time or relax. This is especially the case for employees, where it can be exploited to get them to do extra work outside of usual hours, which pretty much happens very frequently now it is unfortunately considered normal. Walking out of the ‘office’ no longer necessarily means the work day is over anymore due ease of contact and systems that tell others when you are or are not there.
So, it is important to recognise not only the upsides of this technological era, but also the big downsides it has also brought us and how they can be tackled.
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